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Illinois Grant Resources

It’s Pop Quiz Time: Do you know where the Ice Cream Sundae, one of the world’s greatest desserts, comes from? It got its start in Evanston, right here in Illinois!

Looking for another delicious treat for your organization? Just look below for links to different types of Illinois Funding Sources, including state and federal Government Departments, Community Foundations, Private Foundations and Corporations.

Now that you have those lists, what’s next? Learn how to narrow your search to find the specific funders who support your type of organization, as well as how to approach them. Who teaches that? We do! Check out our Grantsmanship Training Program! It’s a fast-paced and inspiring 5-day workshop, packed with the skills-training and guidance you need to approach and impress your potential funders. Applying for grants is a challenging task, and high-caliber training makes the difference between success and endless searching.

Now that you know the direction to take moving forward, here are three more steps for preparing outstanding proposals!

First...and this bears repeating because it’s such a key step…give another close look at the lists of Illinois’ funding sources. Here’s why: Each one is different, so it’s essential that you find and apply only for grants for which your organization is a good match. If it looks like you’re changing things just to fit their requirements, it’s a guaranteed decline. We’re here to coach you through this!

Second, submit the most compelling grant proposal you can! The Grantsmanship Training Program is an excellent way to learn how that’s done. If you’re not able attend one in person, then our industry-leading textbook, Grantsmanship: Program Planning & Proposal Writing and webinars are the next best thing. While you’re on our website, check out our other exciting and helpful free resources including articles, blogs and podcasts.

Third, once you’ve been awarded a grant, it’s time to manage the dollars and track the outcomes. Sign up for our mailing list and download the free Winning Grants Power Pack. It includes an overview about designing an effective tracking and grant management plan before you write the proposal. Including this in your document will greatly impress potential funders.

ILLINOIS TRAINING

Training may be in the planning stages right now, so subscribe if you’d like to be the first to know when it’s coming to your area. Or find out how easy is it to host our training and get your staff trained for free! Email Gail Brauner or Stephanie Dameron or call us at (800) 421-9512. We look forward to hearing from you!

The Charitable Advisory Council - Created under the Solicitation for Charity Act (225 ILCS 460/23) to serve, study and advise on issues regarding charitable giving, volunteerism and fundraising in the state of Illinois. The council is a permanent body composed of citizens chosen by the Attorney General.

If you’d like to know the names and addresses of other elected officials that represent you and your area, click here to locate them: Illinois Elected Officials.

Illinois Community Foundations:

Brace yourself for good news here: Illinois has 28 Community Foundations providing funding and other services to nonprofits, schools, artists, churches and other groups through their own endowments and through their donor advised funds. Click on the link above to see a list of them on our website, or simply click on the specific Foundation names below. Both rosters indicate the counties and communities served by each organization.

Want to learn more about Community Foundations before approaching your nearest one for funding, or to learn about their other offerings? Click here on What’s a Community Foundation? The explanation will put you on a more solid foundation of understanding (pardon the pun!).

In addition to Community Foundations, there are additional organizations that provide a wide variety of help to nonprofits and other community service efforts, such as legal guidance, volunteer matching, sustainability workshops, and many more. Illinois has a lot of ‘em! Check out the list below and click away on whichever ones offer the type of services and support you’re looking for.

Arts Alliance Illinois - The leading voice for the cultural sector and creative industries. Through civic engagement, arts education, and cultural equity initiatives, we promote the value of the arts and give voice to a creative state.

CapinCrouse - A for-profit consulting firm specializing in nonprofit clients. In addition to their fee-based services, CapinCrouse offers free webinars across a variety of topics.

Chicago Cares - Matches volunteers with 200 nonprofit organizations and projects each month. Chicago Cares bridges divides and helps everyone see that every neighborhood has assets and challenges. Volunteers from diverse communities come together to meet critical community needs while learning about each other and one another’s neighborhoods.

Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights - Based in Chicago, CLCCR consists of civil rights lawyers and advocates working to secure racial equity and economic opportunity for all. They provide legal representation through partnerships with the private bar and collaborate with grassroots organizations and other advocacy groups to implement community-based solutions that advance civil rights. They’re website provides an impressive list of Resources designed specifically for nonprofit organizations.

New Coast Foundation - NCF was founded in 2016 as a public philanthropic venture fund to accelerate the impact of promising emerging organizations working to bring possibility to the communities and people of Chicago. Through its Investment Readiness approach, they identify emerging organizations that are demonstrating success, and, with the infusion of an investment to accelerate impact, help multiply their efforts to grow and influence meaningful change for Chicago.

Crain's Chicago Business - Here’s an article entitled, “We have too many nonprofits. Here's why that matters,” which includes a description of Forefront’s work -- see their description and link immediately below. It’s not what any of us expected to list here, but it provides an explanation of several important options available to nonprofit organizations dealing with a highly competitive and difficult fundraising environment. If you’re facing increasing challenges, it’s worth a read.

Forefront - The nation’s only statewide membership association for nonprofits, grantmakers, public agencies, advisors, and allies, Forefront provides education, advocacy, thought leadership, and facilitates collective action around issues that are important to its Members and to the sector. Earlier this spring, Forefront launched Mission Sustainability, a program that offers counselling and resources to nonprofits wishing to merge or otherwise collaborate.

GRIT HQ - Grit HQ uses image-centered storytelling to more powerfully connect nonprofits and small businesses with their ideal audiences. GRIT also assists in writing successful grant proposals, conducts nonprofit training (all for a fee), and also provides free content resources to help nonprofits improve their fundraising, social media and branding & marketing game. They get potential supporters to understand what you do, care about the issues you address, and get involved with your organization.

Illinois Legal Aid Online - Offers a variety of articles and videos on how to organize and run a nonprofit Board of Directors, an explanation of their elected officer positions and responsibilities, employee salary issues, etc.

Illinois Partners - A coalition of more than 800 human service organizations located in every county and district throughout Illinois, IP’s partners represent fields across the sector, including education, economic opportunity, healthcare and public safety. They take the lead on some of the most complex issues, such as protecting funding and fair policies, and building public support for investments and innovation in human services. The IP team provides important research, information and updates on policy, and builds capacity in the human service community across Illinois.

Non-profit Development Center - An online resource to provide you with the tools and connections you need to build capacity and impact at your non-profit organization. Provided by Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington.

Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence - Created by and housed at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, NICNE strengthens nonprofits by providing education, training, technical assistance, and assessments, and encourages collaboration resulting in a strong, vibrant nonprofit sector critical to a healthy community.

United Ways of Illinois:

Now, this is impressive: Who else knows the tremendous needs of local neighborhoods as well as Community Foundations do, and also provide funds and volunteers to address them? United Way Chapters! All United Way organizations around the country are dedicated to supporting projects within the four main areas of Health, Education, Financial Stability and Disaster Recovery of Individuals. While they share this common focus, each UW chapter also provides funding and support for programs customized to the needs of its home area. To find out more about a specific UW and its resources and nonprofit funding opportunities, please click on the links below:

This forced hiatus from the office is an anxiety-filled nightmare of handwringing and handwashing. The worries are real, but we can’t get frozen in place, we’ve got to discipline ourselves to be productive and prepare to rebound.

Clear, strategic communication has always been the magic ingredient that promotes strong program implementation, good working relationships, and effective nonprofit management. But when a crisis crashes in and disrupts any notion of business-as-usual, the imperative for communication escalates at the same trajectory as the disruption. Don’t go quiet with panic or let the huge details of change management side-line communications.